Sara Woerth has roots in the Southern End that run deep; her family operated a farm in Georgetown for over a century, and she was born and raised on a farm in Kirkwood. Woerth is a Solanco High School graduate, and her father was the first student to enroll in Bart-Colerain Elementary School as a first-grader. Woerth knew from an early age that no matter where her life took her, she would always return to the peace of the farm, and she officially became its owner in 2013.

As an only child, Woerth avoided boredom by caring for horses on the farm, and their stalls became her favorite place to spend an afternoon. Although she never had an interest in competing as an equestrian, Woerth's passion for riding earned her the nickname "horse girl" when she was a child. As an adult, Woerth pursued a career in the United States Army, which led her to stations in other parts of the country and a deployment to Afghanistan. Woerth was excited to return to the farm after completing her service, but she also began to think of ways she could share her little slice of peace with people who could benefit the most from its tranquil environment.

Woerth tossed around many different ideas, but she eventually narrowed down her vision to equine therapy. In 2017, Woerth officially transformed her family farm on Cooper Drive into Woerth It Hollow, a nonprofit organization that seeks to provide a healing sanctuary for horses and humans alike.

"There's a connection between the human's heart and the horse's heart," Woerth said. "Horses can feel our heartbeats up to four feet away, and they can take on our feelings. It has a way of forcing you to slow down and be present in the moment."

Woerth It Hollow offers a variety of free equine therapy programs to veterans and people with disabilities. This includes riding and horsemanship courses, but one of the organization's primary goals is to equip people who want to own a horse with the necessary skills. "Our main focus is to bring a horse to a good home and to give people an opportunity to learn everything there is about owning a horse," Woerth said.

Woerth serves as executive director of Woerth It Hollow, which she operates with the help of its president, Day Iseminger. At first, Iseminger only volunteered to help Woerth with the organization's website and social media a few years ago. "I was never a horse person, and I definitely never thought I would ever muck a stall," Iseminger said. "But you get so much out of it. There is a soul-filling richness here."

For more information, visit http://www.woerthithollow.net.